Hernial truss.



No. 684,392. Patented Oct. 8, l90l.

G. W. BELL.

HERNIAL TBUSS.

(App1ica.t ion filed Feb. 26, 1901.)

(R0 Modal.)

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YNE NORRIS PETERS CU. PHOTO-M nia. \NLNDGTDN. D. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE IV. BELL, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

HERNIAL TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,392, dated October8, 1901. Application filed February 28, 1901. Serial No. 49,229. (Nomodel.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE IV. BELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Trusses, of which thefollowing is a specification. Y

My invention relates to trusses for use in retaining rupture or hernia;and the objects of my invention are to provide a very yielding andadjustable pressure to the parts affected or to the pads which bear onthe parts affected and to provide a medicated pad which may be instantlydetached from the truss for the purpose of applying fresh medicinethereto or for substituting a freshly-medicated pad for the one removed.To these ends I employ coiled springs as a yielding medium between thepads and the more or less rigid frame of the truss, and I construct theretaining-pad in ring form and provide a small central pad adapted to beretained by the annular pad and pressed against the rupture, the centralpad being unattached to the annular pad, whereby it may be easily andquickly removed.

I will proceed fully to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanyin g drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top or plan View of atruss embodying the preferred form of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same looking in the direction of the arrow, as shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged central section through the annular paddetached from the body-spring, showing the center pad in position.

1 designates the body-spring of the truss, it being a suitably-bent rodof any preferred metal adapted to pass around one side of the body ofthe wearer and supporting the back pad 3 and the front or retaining pad4 in the manner hereinafter described. Mounted at or near the front endof the frame 1 isa clamp 5 6, which comprises an outer plate 5, curvedto fit around the frame-rod 1, and a companion plate 6, made straight,as shown in Fig. 1, and having a cylindrical extension 6, on which ismounted the spring =supporting sleeve 7, adjustably secured to saidextension by a set-screw 8. The clamping-plates 5 and 6 are drawntogether by two screws 9,

which pass freely through holes in the former plate and enter threadedholes in the latter. The bend in plate 5 where said plate passes aroundbody-spring 1 is formed obliquely in relation to the length of saidplate, so that the entire clamp is held obliquely with respect to thebody-spring 1, as shown. The object of setting the clamp obliquely isthat the clamp may be reversed from the position in which it is shown,and by this means the truss is adapted for hernia on either the right orleft hand side of the body. The clamp 5 6 is of course adjustable to anyangular position upon the body-springl and to any position along saidframe. Still further adjustments for the pad 4 are provided by thesleeve 7, mounted on the extension 6', as aforesaid. This sleeve 7 isformed with a flat base or shoulder on one side thereof, and extendingfrom said base or shoulder is a stud 10. (See Fig. 3.) A coiled spring12, to the large base of which the pad 4 is secured, has its inner endclamped between two washers 13, one of which in assembling is placedover stud 10. Then the small end of the spring 12 is placed upon saidwasher,the other washer 13 is laid on top of the spring, and the top ofthe stud 10 is swaged or hammered down upon the upper washer, forming ahead which secures the spring tightly between the washers, as shown. 7

The pad 4 is annular in form, as shown, and is sewed or otherwisesecured to the largest turn of the spring 12. The covering of said padis preferably of some kind of cloth, and the interior of the pad iscomposed of wool or a similar elastic substance. By referring to Fig. 2it will be observed that the pad 4 is not circular and is not concentricwith the spring 12. It has been found that the operation of the pad ismore effective when the pad is thus formed and arranged on its support.The purpose of the opening in pad 4 is to receive a small pad 14, whichis shaped like a much-flattened spheroid, may be covered with cloth orany suitable material, and is stuffed preferably with wool. I saturatethis pad with certain medicinal liquids for reducing the hernia, and therenewal of this pad is much facilitated by its being detachable from theannular pad 4.

The back pad 3 (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) is V an ordinary flat andcircular pad secured to a coiled spring 15, the inner end of which issecured to asleeve 16 by being riveted thereto between washers in thesame way in which the spring 12 is secured to sleeve 7. The sleeve 16has an opening therethrough for the body-spring 1 and is adjustablysecured to the frame bya set-screw 17. Between the sleeve 16 and itsadjacent washer is secured one end of a sheet-metal ear 18, to the outerend of which is riveted a button 19 for engaging a loop 20, secured toone end of the belt 21, which belt passes around the opposite side ofthe body from the body-spring l and has a loop 22 secured to itsopposite end, which loop may be hooked over the screw 8, thereby holdingthe entire truss firmly against the body. The'belt 21 may be providedwith any preferred device for changing or adjusting its length; but I donot confine myself to any one device for this purpose.

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

In a truss, a body-spring, a clamp mounted thereon, said clampcomprising a straight member having a cylindrical extension and a bentmember on the opposite side of the bodyspring from said straight member,screws securing said clamp members together, a sleeve mounted on saidcylindrical extension, a coiled spring secured to said sleeve, and anannular pad attached to said spring; the bend in said bent clamp memberlying obliquely of the length of said member, whereby both of said clampmembers are held obliquely with respect to saidbody-spring,substantially' as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 4o in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE \V. BELL.

\Vitn esses:

M. L. LANGE, K. M. IMBODEN.

